Leading Motivation, Retention, and Career-Ready Learning
As Director of Education, this module reinforced for me that motivation and retention are not just classroom issues — they are system-level responsibilities. My role is to help create an instructional environment where reinforcement, relevance, and real-world application are built into how we teach across programs.
One key takeaway is the power of immediate feedback. As an administrator, I can support this by guiding instructors on effective grading practices, realistic turnaround times, and using feedback as a teaching tool, not just an evaluation tool. When students know where they stand, anxiety decreases and motivation increases. That directly impacts retention and overall student success.
The connection between episodic and semantic memory also stood out. Our students come to us with work, life, and hands-on experience. I can encourage faculty to intentionally connect lessons to students’ real-life experiences and career goals, especially in trade programs where application is everything. When students see the “why,” learning sticks.
The four instructional cornerstones — expertise, empathy, enthusiasm, and clarity — are especially important from my leadership position. I see it as my responsibility to support faculty development in these areas. That means promoting professional growth, modeling clear communication, and reminding instructors that empathy is not lowering standards — it’s understanding that many of our students are balancing school, work, and family.
